To ensure agricultural development and production increases, there is a need to upgrading of the human resources and technology employed in agriculture for more intensive and modernized agriculture.
I feel compelled by the knowledge of God that I must awaken our people who are still enslaved by the economic slogan left behind by the colonialists: “Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda.” I fear and suspect that we must have been so duffed that we never saw through it.
Man initially every where was a fruit gatherer! From there man transformed to agriculture.
From Agriculture, man transformed to human capital development and technology!
Unfortunately up to day, even the government we have still fastens the nuts to further enslave the citizens minds by stating now and then that Agriculture is the backbone of our economy!!
No! Agriculture is not the backbone of our economy. When you are to climb a mountain, you must look at the pick. Then contemplate, plan and design how to reach the pick!
Like wise when you make human capital and technology the back bone of your economy, it helps you to craft the birds eye to determine how you can do all you possibly can to realise the required human capital development and technology. With these you will even be able to appropriately develop agriculture.
In the Bible Jesus asked whether a blind man can lead a fellow blind man!
Up to day about 90 percent of our working people are all employed in Agriculture!! This means each individual nearly feeds himself or herself with a little surplus for sell!! This trend is dangerous.
The NRM government is rather making it worse!! It promotes subsistence type of economic development in all it’s programmes! Now I hear it’s misguided programme of the so called ” emyoga” scattering huge financial resources into too many youth groups to make any worthwhile economic impact! Even in its own primitive Form it has no clear target!
If it is to grow onions, let the government be really scientific. Let it know the domestic demand and for example determine the regional demand of onions and assess how much those demands it can meet based at its current level of onion production throughout the year .
It can then determine how much they must invest in onion production above the current level of production in order to satisfy the regional demand. Or if it has been a net importer of onions, it can use scientific methods to determine how much more they need to invest in onion production to satisfy the domestic and regional onion demand for Uganda and the neighbouring countries for a start. Then develop a strategy to export a surplus at competitive but profitable prices.
We all therefore from today, have to know that the back bone of our economy is human capital and technology not agriculture! Do Not Say I never told you!
Focusing on human capital and technology implies that:
There is increasing evidence and recognition that what matters for development, more than natural resources and man-made physical capital, is the capability of people to be effective and productive economic agents, in short, human capital. Education and skills of agricultural people are significant factors in explaining the inter- farm and inter-country differences in agricultural performance.
Technology is another important factor which determines agricultural development, along with the more conventional factors such as availabilities of land, water resources, inputs, credit etcetera.
Today’s agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology. These advanced devices and precision agriculture and robotic systems allow businesses to be more profitable, efficient, safer, and more environmentally friendly.
The increasingly scarcity of natural resources imposes severe limits on the extent to which production increases can be had through expansion of extensive agriculture.
To ensure agricultural development and production increases, there is a need to upgrading of the human resources and technology employed in agriculture for more intensive and modernized agriculture.
For instance, when we plan designing and building a road or a hydro power station, etcetera , we must think about doing it by using Ugandans well equipped with advanced technological skills.
when we talk about accessing the best doctors we must aspire to be treated by our Ugandan doctors not going to look for them in India, the US or Europe!! By the way a highly placed friend of mine had a blood clot in the head during Covid19 under the lock down! Frantic efforts were being made to charter an executive plane and fly him to India or anywhere else overseas before it dawned on them that they would not be allowed by any country to land!! The person was well handled and operated upon at one of our local hospitals moreover owned by a Ugandan.
We need to seriously and systematically plan how to develop human capital and technology. It is the only way to achieve the required the economic development and transformation.
By Byamugisha Ambrose Muhoozi
The Author is a Managing Director, AMBROSOLI Consult Uganda Limited. Plot 40, Kampala Road, Opp: Constitutional (City) Square. Email: ambrosoli.consult@gmail.com
